The truth about the lunatic religious right in America

In my head

This was my to do list today.

This is what it felt like.

Egyptian Revolution Jan 25th 2011

This video was created by Tamer Shaaban. "Another Egyptian who's had enough."

Song: "Into the Fire" - Thirteen Senses

Thanks to the following news sources for their footage:
Daily News Egypt
The Guardian
CNN
New York Times
Al Masry Al Youm

I am especially moved by the comment of the man in the bright blue jacket at 0:06.

And this at 0:45. "We will not be silenced. Whether you're a Christian, whether you're a Muslim, whether you're an atheist, you will demand your goddamn rights, and we will have our rights, one way or the other. We will never be silenced!"

More at Reddit
Reposted from TYWKIWDBI

Cool dog moving lawn

This clip has made the rounds so you've probably already seen it. I just found it but, if it doesn't make you smile again, I'll refund your money.

Full moon night at the Invisible Theatre

Full moon night at the Invisible Theatre - photo by me

Talking Dogs

Frank... shut up.

Thanks, Mr. Lee.

Full moon in the Bird Park

"We point - You shoot"

Given the way things are going, it's time to consider if charges of Vicarious Liability and Felony Intimidation apply to public figures like Sarah Palin, Roger Ailes, Glenn Beck and FOX News.

"Someday Boooooom while you’re setting in your offices"
"And you know I won't even be the one pulling the trigger"
Cheryl Allen

Last week, after directing death threats to elected officials and staff from her Facebook page, Cheryl Allen was arrested on eight counts of Felony Intimidation. The charges carry a possible sentence of 4 to 24 years in prison and up to $80,000 in fines.

Two days ago, the Center for Constitutional Rights sent this letter to FOX "News" CEO, Roger Ailes. In it they ask him to stop his employee, Glenn Beck, from further harassing Professor Frances Fox Piven. As a direct result of his smear campaign against her, Beck's followers have sent Priven seriously disturbing death threats. Here are few unedited examples of their messages:

"Maybe they should burst through the fron door of this arrogant elitist and slit the hateful cow's throat." Reckless

"We should blow up Piven's office and home."

"I am all for violence and change Frances: Where do your loved ones live?"  Green Manilici

"Somebody tell Fances I have 5,000 rounds ready and I will give my life to take our freedom back. Taking her life and any who would enslave my children and grandchildren and call for violence should meet their demise as they wish. George Washington didn't use his freedom of speech to deveat the British. He shot them." superwrench 4

"Again, why is this woman still alive?" capnjack

"Big lots is having a rope sale I hear, you buy the rope and I will hang the wench. I will spin her as she hangs. Here is your velolution Piven wence, Alla Akbar!" ham4mohammed

"We need a target? OK...Here's one, Frances Fox Piven. Let's go string her up, as this mess is directly due to her and her husbands meddling." Voted against carter.

I doubt "Reckless", "superwrnch 4" or any of other the other loons threatening Piven would be doing so if Ailes and Beck had not loaded them like bullets into a chamber. This is not "robust discourse". FOX doesn't care if their listeners are crazy, drunk, stupid, high, political or just plain violent. This "We point -You shoot" policy endangers us all.

No butts? I think not.

 What the citizens of Kansas City do not realize when they stroll by the Busy Bee Cafe is that, while the place appears to be a grubby joint with dirty windows frequented by writers, photographers, travelers, artists and other mysterious hang-outers, it is much more. The Busy Bee Cafe houses a very strange wonderful device, the Alternate Reality Generator. The ARG as we say in the comics. So today, when the entire staff at the Bee so very earnestly insisted that the suspicious looking object in the popcorn hopper could not possibly be a cigarette butt, I did a little research and discovered what, indeed, they are trying to hide.

This photo was taken by Judie Ellis, an unsuspecting Brit, while on holiday in the Maldives with her husband Tony. What Judie and Tony did not realize is that the quaint little thatched-roof Maldives beach bar where they had just had lunch and a few too many beers, resulting in Tony dropping his ciggies in the sand to the delight of a couple of smoker crows, regulars who routinely entertain tourists in hope of the occasional peanut or bit of beer-soaked chapitis, is actually an alternate reality to the Busy Bee.

We all know crows, like ravens, are frequent travelers and emissaries between alternate realities. Obviously, Judie took her lucky shot just as the ARG rang back at the Bee. Blow back happens. It's simple, my dear Watson. The bell rang, it startled the crow causing him to drop his cigarette just as reality went into flux and that cigarette fell into the popcorn hopper back at the Bee.

But is this an isolated incident? I wonder, given the odd disclaimer on the hopper. "Busy Bee Popcorn . . . Mmm mmm good--no butts about it!"

Tesla

This is not an ad for Tesla. I just happened to see one yesterday and thought it was pretty cool. Look ma. No tailpipe! The one true all-electric car. I am not a car nut but I do appreciate when beauty and function come together in an eco-friendly manner. There are less than 1500 on the road worldwide so that makes this an Official Sighting and the first in a new category here at the language barrier. I know who he is but I scrubbed the license plate because otherwise I would feel creepy posting the photo. That said, he was one of the first software engineers at Google when it was a start-up. These days he does his own thing which includes helping develop eco-friendly projects, education and the arts. Oh and don't miss the fuzzy dice. Pure cool.

Base price for a Tesla $109,000(US), £86,950(UK) and €84,000 in continental Europe. 

"Robust Discourse"

I used to wonder how the rising tide of hatred in Germany went unnoticed by its citizens, the ordinary people, but now I understand. It didn't. They embraced it in the name of "robust discourse". They felt empowered by it. Bigger than life. "Safer".

US Representative Gabrielle Giffords warning
Sarah Palin "there will be consequences to cross-hairs map."

OTOH, if regular folks don't get that so many people tittering and winking about taking up arms doesn't effect crazies, I fear for us all the more. But our problem is not the crazy, isolated ones. Our problem is that supposedly sane public figures boast about using a "second amendment solution" and "gettin' 'er done". We all know what that means. Shoot to kill. As my NRA instructor friend once told me, you NEVER (emphasis hers) point a gun at anyone you don't intend to kill. Violence as "The Solution" is in the air just like it was in Germany. Don't think so? God help us.

How ironic that Representative Giffords was shot by a gun wielding madman. Welcome to the NRA's America. The NRA buys legislation that guarantees its members huge, ever increasing profits from gun sales. Conservative bastions like Arizona are model NRA communities. Everyone who wants one has a gun under their jacket or in their purse. Any crazy can walk in off the street and buy a gun as easily as buying a bottle of beer, hell . . . easier. A thirteen year-old kid can walk in alone, buy a gun, then walk out and shoot somebody with it, even an armed citizen carrying a concealed weapon for protection. It's the bullet you don't hear that gets you. Gun stores sell truck loads of guns to anyone with the cash, no questions asked. In Arizona it is even illegal to keep records of purchase. Perpetual war. It's the perfect loop. We're all being played.